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500ml
Bottle:
$28.99
12 bottles:
$28.42
A nutty and intense marsala with salty undertones to the dried fruit, such as figs and sultanas. Some nuttiness, too....
750ml
Bottle:
$11.94
$13.43
12 bottles:
$11.52
Chateau de la Chesnaie is a family owned estate dedicated to the production of high quality Muscadet. This wine is...
750ml
Bottle:
$12.94
$14.30
12 bottles:
$12.35
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 30-year-old Muscadet vines planted on a gentle slope of sandy/silty soils overlaid on a...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
750ml
Bottle:
$15.41
12 bottles:
$15.10
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
750ml
Bottle:
$13.50
12 bottles:
$13.23
Certified HVE3*. Extraordinary Muscadet from vines aged 45-60 years planted in decomposed mica/schist soils. The...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.94
$12.57
Clean tasting with crisp acidity and a bright, fresh minerality. This is an excellent Muscadet, light and refreshing....
750ml
Bottle:
$25.94
$35.94
An enticement of sweet raspberry, wild strawberry and dried berry fruit with an underlying fragrance of incense;...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$34.80
Ruby red color with violet reflections. On the nose, fruity aromas of blueberries, black currant and wild blackberry...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$25.02
$27.80
6 bottles:
$19.59
With hints of raisins and vanilla it is dry, full, and harmonic on the palate. Colombo Marsala Fine Dry is perfect...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.26
$14.73
12 bottles:
$11.88
With hints of raisins and vanilla it is dry, full, and harmonic on the palate. Colombo Marsala Fine Dry is perfect...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$25.02
$27.80
6 bottles:
$18.61
Dark amber, with hints of dates and apricots it is sweet, full, warm and harmonic on the palate with an elegant,...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.26
$14.73
12 bottles:
$11.88
Dark amber, with hints of dates and apricots it is sweet, full, warm and harmonic on the palate with an elegant,...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.09
12 bottles:
$15.05
750ml
Bottle:
$19.19
12 bottles:
$18.81
750ml
Bottle:
$14.94
12 bottles:
$14.64
750ml
Bottle:
$17.35
$19.28
12 bottles:
$15.05
750ml
Bottle:
$14.93
$16.25
12 bottles:
$14.25
La Pepiere is one of the best and most progressive Muscadet producers, even as it's undergone a leadership...
750ml
Bottle:
$26.94
12 bottles:
$26.40
100% Melon de Bourgogne. Pépière has vines in a couple of different zones of the cru of Monnières-St.-Fiacre...
Marsala Mavrodaphne Melon de Bourgogne Schioppettino
Marsala is a well known fortified wine from Italy’s largest island, Sicily. A largely misunderstood and undervalued fortified wine, it is most commonly associated with its sweet variety - usually used as a cooking wine - although the finest dry Masalas are able to stand up to more revered, similar wines such as Sherry and Madeira. Marsala has been made in Sicily since the mid 18th century, and it grew wildly popular around Europe as sailors introduced it to port towns across the continent. Marsala wine has a beautiful set of flavors, most typically including apricot, tamarind, vanilla and tobacco, making it a delightfully intense treat when served as a sipping wine.
Marsala wine comes in several different varieties, and most of them are a world away from the sweet wines used in sauces and chicken dishes. Amber, golden and ruby versions of Masala are produced, from a range of different native grape varietals, and many of the finest are aged for over ten years to achieve a fascinating set of complex flavors and a remarkably smooth finish. It is usually made from the Grillo, Inzolia, Damaschino and Catarratto white grapes, although the ruby Masala wines uses typical Sicilian red varietals such as Nero d’Avola and Calabrese, among others.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?
One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.
Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.